Commercial vehicles such as trucks, travel buses and the like, each possess on their driver's side, as well as on the passenger's side, at least one outside main mirror and very frequently a wide-angle mirror. Since the commercial vehicle, in accord with the laws of various lands, can be steered from the right or left, the mirror manufacturer must make four different mirrors available, i.e., for driver side and passenger side and for right steering and left steering. This obligation leads to high manufacturing costs for the different forms and associated equipment as well as to high costs of inventory for multiple versions.
Often variants of the same mirror (for example the driver's side mirror for a left-steering vehicle) are offered, each being expensive initially, but on the basis of being aerodynamically favorable, in the long run, promising to be more economical. The known variants require different fastening apparatuses, mirror panes, adjustment devices and the like, all of which must be designed, manufactured and held in inventory. This again presents a substantial factor in cost accumulation. Furthermore, the commercial vehicle itself must be subjected to various attachment modes, including borings and the like.
Further, outside mirrors for commercial vehicles, to achieve the desired angle of sight, are installed normally on the side and/or somewhat forward on the body of the commercial vehicles. However, in many cases this is disadvantageous when driving, for example, through narrow washing lanes or during transport of the commercial vehicles on ferries or transport ships, where the vehicles are placed as closely as possible beside each other and nose to tail with one another.
Again, upon maneuvering in tight areas such as entries to courts, street tunnels and the like, the side and forward positions of the rear view mirrors can be inconvenient. To correct this, the outside rear view mirrors should be pivoted, so that they can be swung back against the side of the vehicle. To carry this swinging out manually would be disadvantageous, as the pivoting would also be necessary for the passenger seat mirror which is not directly reachable by the driver.